Valve combo quest

[gilles27]

i'm after an all valve combo guitar amp with spring reverb that will be gigable at small venues but too loud for the bedroom. also must cost no more than £500 ($1000). any ideas?

 

[barbarianbrute]

Re: Valve combo quest

mesa express 5:25
fender supersonic (loud, but still playable at bedroom levels)
genz-benz black pearl

 

[YJM_Rocks]

Re: Valve combo quest

I have a Classic 30 and I like it.
What music do you play?

 

[gilles27]

Re: Valve combo quest

erm lotta blues. could do with a good clean channel as i use pedal distortion and overdrive. i play mostly vintage blues sounding stuff, bit of jazz and modern rock too. i was thinking about a fender blues junior reissue?

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Valve combo quest

Blues Jr's good. I'd grab an Epiphone Valve Jr. head and the 1x12 cabinet with it...I love those rigs.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Valve combo quest

Or you could be the first on your block to try this.

 

[barbarianbrute]

Re: Valve combo quest

erm lotta blues. could do with a good clean channel as i use pedal distortion and overdrive. i play mostly vintage blues sounding stuff, bit of jazz and modern rock too. i was thinking about a fender blues junior reissue?

the mesa 5:25 man. it's going to be hard to beat

 

[gilles27]

Re: Valve combo quest

trouble with the mesa is the price, it seems to be double my budget

 

[barbarianbrute]

Re: Valve combo quest

trouble with the mesa is the price, it seems to be double my budget

you can find one in mint condition every now and then for about $750 on ebay. that amp is worth every penny. i tell you with certainty that buying that amp instead of buying an amp that's going to make you want something else later on is good decision.

not only that, it's very versatile and runs in 5 or 25 watt mode. you can use it for practice at home or live. it's very portable, well made, and sounds killer. the clean tones on the express amps, in my opinion, are just as good if not better than fender.

it will blow away a deluxe, deville, pro jr., etc... it's really a great amp.

 

[chuckbat]

Re: Valve combo quest

Check out a Hughes & Kettner. Mine is pictured in my avatar. It is a Edition Tube 20th Anniversary. 20 tube watts. Good to gig, good to practice. Check out their website.

This will also blow away the Blues Jr., DeVille series from Fender. I got rid of my Hot Rod DeVille 4X10 for one of these.

 

[ModestCargo]

Re: Valve combo quest

Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue

 

[brit84]

Re: Valve combo quest

the mesa 5:25 man. it's going to be hard to beat

Unfortuately the LANEY VC50 (VC100) does!!!mg:

You're in England, look for a used VC series. The VC30 is good for blues etc, but for versatility id look for the 50 or 100.

Mesas can be hard to find in England, and ebay will have US versions for the most part.

 

[barbarianbrute]

Re: Valve combo quest

Unfortuately the LANEY VC50 (VC100) does!!!mg:

You're in England, look for a used VC series. The VC30 is good for blues etc, but for versatility id look for the 50 or 100.

Mesas can be hard to find in England, and ebay will have US versions for the most part.

good point. i have a tt50 and it's pretty friggin awesome

 

[FAC]

Re: Valve combo quest

Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue

ModestCargo,

Did you find a good one of these? I tried at least five of them in the LA area and found them to be the epitome of "ice pick" (this was about 6 weeks ago, I think). I really wanted to like one because the DR is such a classic, but I couldn't find one that was even close (for my ears, anyway).

 

[ModestCargo]

Re: Valve combo quest

ModestCargo,

Did you find a good one of these? I tried at least five of them in the LA area and found them to be the epitome of "ice pick" (this was about 6 weeks ago, I think). I really wanted to like one because the DR is such a classic, but I couldn't find one that was even close (for my ears, anyway).

They basically need new tubes, a new speaker, the bright cap changed or removed, etc etc.

Mine is a 1965 original so there are bound to be differences but the reissues I played were all pretty good amps - I had to run the treble a bit lower though. I also only tested them at bedroom levels.

Also mine ice picks but it's not enough to worry about - I'd put duct tape on the grill but I don't want to mess up the original cloth.

And no I'm not rich, I just got it for 300 bucks from an ex gf who had no idea.

 

[FAC]

Re: Valve combo quest

Regarding the Deluxe Reverb Reissue:

They basically need new tubes, a new speaker, the bright cap changed or removed, etc etc.

Mine is a 1965 original so there are bound to be differences but the reissues I played were all pretty good amps - I had to run the treble a bit lower though. I also only tested them at bedroom levels.

Also mine ice picks but it's not enough to worry about - I'd put duct tape on the grill but I don't want to mess up the original cloth.

And no I'm not rich, I just got it for 300 bucks from an ex gf who had no idea.

Thanks for the info. I even put the treble on 0 at one point when the DRR was mildly cranked and I still lost the upper range of my high freq. hearing..mg: I suppose I should try to find a nice original one (although I probably won't get as good of a deal as you did!!).

 

[ModestCargo]

Re: Valve combo quest

Regarding the Deluxe Reverb Reissue:



Thanks for the info. I even put the treble on 0 at one point when the DRR was mildly cranked and I still lost the upper range of my high freq. hearing..mg: I suppose I should try to find a nice original one (although I probably won't get as good of a deal as you did!!).

Well late 60s - 70s silver face Fenders as a general rule are a good deal man (mine's a black face but I really should have paid 2500 for it in that condition).

The early silver face amps were not much different than the pre CBS circuits and with a couple mods can be changed to black face specs. I'd say have a look at them, but avoid the later 70s higher powered amps (ie 100 watt twins are better than 135 watt twins).